Tuesday, December 2, 2003

NEW TEEN TITANS EPISODES

The Teen Titans animated series begins its second season on Cartoon Network in January with four new episodes.

Following is a rundown:

Saturday, Jan. 10: "How Long is Forever?"

Warp, a super-thief from the future, travels back in time to steal a priceless antique. But when the Teen Titans show up to stop him, Warp tries to escape. Starfire is pulled into his Time Vortex and accidentally hurled 20 years into the future.

Saturday, Jan. 17: "Every Dog Has His Day"

A strange green Alien Dog comes to Earth with a mysterious flying saucer chasing after it. But when the Alien Dog bumps into Green Dog Beast Boy, who's hanging out at the dog park, the flying saucer accidentally abducts the wrong pooch. When the Teen Titans spot the Alien Dog, they mistakenly think it's Beast Boy.

Saturday, Jan.24: "Terra"

The Teen Titans meet Terra, a small teenage girl with big powers. Gifted with amazing earth-moving abilities, Terra can make rocks fly, mountains crumble, and the ground tremble beneath her feet. At first, it seems like this young hero might make a great addition to the team. But Terra has a secret, and only Slade knows the truth.

Saturday, Jan. 31: "Only Human"

Back when Cyborg was a fully human athlete, he loved trying to do more than he thought he could do. But now that his muscles are mechanical, Cyborg's limitations are built-in. But when the other Teen Titans are captured, Cyborg is forced to fight Atlas, a giant robot.

In other Teen Titans news, the show had a successful first month on Kids' WB!, helping the network to its 13th consecutive sweeps victory in the ratings.

Teen Titans, which airs on Kids' WB! at 8:30 a.m. ET on Saturdays, took the No. 5 spot among the broadcast and cable competition in Tweens 9-14 (4.3 rating/26 share) and Male Tweens 9-14 (6.5/33) and the No. 6 spot in Boys 6-11 (6.0/26), tying Jackie Chan Adventures (6.0/24). It ranked among the top 10 in Boys 2-11 (4.7/21), also ranking among the top seven broadcast programs in Kids 2-11 (3.1/15) and Kids 6-11 (3.8/18).

LEE BERMEJO TALKS LEX LUTHOR

Artist Lee Bermejo told The Continuum he is trying to put "a different spin" on Superman's apperance for the upcoming Lex Luthor: Man of Steel mini-series.

The six-issue mini-series, written by Brian Azzarello, takes a look at Superman through Luthor's perspective.

"This isn't the Christopher Reeve Superman where people come up and shake hands with him the day he shows up," Bermejo told The Continuum. "This guy can burn a hole in your chest just by look at you. That's a bit scary.

"And from Lex Luthor's perspective, this guy is an alien. Can he be trusted? Do we really want to put our trust in an alien?"

"From Luthor's point of view, we are only one bad day away from disaster," said Vertigo editor Will Dennis, who is assisting in the "SuperStorm" production of the Superman books. "When Superman gets up on the wrong side of the bed, where does that leave us?"

Bermejo said that he's trying to make Superman not so friendly looking and more in alien nature. Early designs featured seams and buckles in Superman's costume.

"It's a different spin on Superman," he said. "It might make Lex Luthor a little more sympathetic."

Bermejo worked with Azzarello before on Batman/Deathblow.

"We wanted to do something. For a long time, we wanted to do a revamp of OMAC," Bermejo said. "They're putting an interesting spin on the Superman stuff, and we talked about it and I thought it was great."

LXG DVD UPDATE

One of the biggest differences between the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic book and the live-action movie was the inclusion of Tom Sawyer as a member of the team.

"There was a push and pull between the things about the book that I loved and the demands of the studio," said James Robinson, screenwriter of the film that will be released on DVD on Dec. 16.

"They (Fox) wanted a young American character in the film. They were worried that there were already a series of characters that perhaps young people didn't want to see. So they said, 'We need to get some youth into this -- and an American actor.'"

So Robinson made Tom Sawyer an American agent, who played by Shane West.

"Even they were a little bit dubious with the idea of Tom Sawyer because everybody mentions him having dirty toes and walking around with a thing in his mouth," Robinson said.

Look for more on League of Extraordinary Gentlemen soon here in The Continuum.

SHOOTING STAR'S JOB WANTED

Shooting Star Comics has provided The Continuum with a preview of Job Wanted #1, an 80-page anthology due in stores on Wednesday.

* "Beekeeper," a Thrill Seeker Comics story that is written and illustrated by Scott McCullar.

*"Enigma in Outer Space," a story by Michael Hutchison with art by Phil
Meadows.

* "Rogue," a Gone To Texas story that is written by John Morgan Neal and
Gregg W. Noon with art by Philipp Neundorf.

Click on the thumbnails for larger images. Job Wanted #1, with a cover by Rosaline Terrill, will cost $5.95.

HELLBOY MOVIE UPDATE

Guillermo del Toro, director of the Hellboy movie, said that he and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola agreed from square one that Ron Perlman should play the lead character.

"The first phone call I made after I officially started on the film was Ron Perlman," del Toro said during the recent Wizard World Texas. "I called Ron, and we went to Golden Apple Comics in L.A. And we bought all the albums. And I said, 'This is going to be you in a few months.'"

Del Toro said there was no hesitation over whether Perlman could carry a $60-million production. He had directed Perlman in Blade II, which, he said, "was a pretty good place to showcase Ron as a cool cat."

Del Toro said he wanted to preserve the way Hellboy talks from the comics, which Perlman accomplishes.

"It's very Mignola," del Toro said. "It's sort of Hemingway-esque. Short verse. Very clear. Very simple."

BRIEFLY

Hard Hero has provided The Continuum with a first look at its Transformer JAZZ Bust, the 12th in its bust series. It will cost $49.95 and will be available in March or April.

Tara Reid, who is starring in the next Crow movie, The Crow: Wicked Prayer, will be a guest on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien on Wednesday, Dec.10.

Coming Wednesday: Superman news -- and much more!!!

COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES

In case you missed The Continuum's recent coverage, here are some links:

Giant Spider-Man jigsaw puzzle is so big and lifelike, kids will feel like theyï¿1Ž2ve made a new pal. Shaped puzzle is a full three-feet tall and contains 100 pieces. Based on the hit Spider-man movie character. Ages 5 and up.